--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Moroni, Comoros | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Moroni: the Old Friday Mosque on the dhow harbour, the medina, Volo Volo market, the climb up Karthala, the Singani lava flow and the medinas of Ikoni and Itsandra." url: https://wimup.com/city/moroni type: City guide updated: 2026-10-21 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Moroni Moroni, Comoros · Africa · By Wimup Editorial, 10 min read Moroni is the capital of the Comoros and the largest town on Grande Comore: a low medina on a dhow harbour, under the slopes of Karthala, an active volcano. Its name means the place of fire. In July 2026 its medina became one of six that UNESCO inscribed as the country's first World Heritage site. ## Quick answer The best things to do in Moroni are the Old Friday Mosque on the dhow harbour, an hour in the medina behind it, a morning at Volo Volo market and the National Museum. Then hire a driver for the island: Ikoni and Itsandra to either side of town, the Singani lava flow to the south, Lac Salé in the north, and a day for the climb up Karthala. Three or four days covers it. June, September and October are the driest, quietest months. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Jun · Sep · Oct - **Ideal length:** 3–4 days - **Budget per day:** $70–150 - **Language:** Comorian, French, Arabic - **Getting around:** Taxis, shared taxis and hired drivers ## The 10 best things to do in Moroni ### 1. See the Old Friday Mosque from the harbour Mosque · Badjanani, Moroni harbour Moroni's emblem: a white mosque built in 1427, with a minaret added in 1921, facing the old dhow port. See it from the quay in the late afternoon, when the light comes off the sea. - **Time:** 30 minutes - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Only men may enter, in long trousers and with washed feet; everyone else sees it from the quay. Never photograph at prayer time. ### 2. Walk the medina of Moroni Medina · Badjanani and the old town Narrow lanes and carved wooden doors behind the harbour, now part of the UNESCO listing of 2026. Much of it is unrestored, so walk it slowly and look up at the doorways. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Dress from shoulders to knees and ask before photographing anyone in the lanes. ### 3. Shop for spices at Volo Volo market Market · Volo Volo, Moroni The biggest market on the island: vanilla, cloves and cinnamon, lychees and jackfruit, chiromani cloth and heaps of everything else. A covered section serves cooked Comorian food at lunchtime. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Carry small Comorian franc notes; vendors rarely have change for large ones. ### 4. Watch the dhow port and the New Friday Mosque Landmark · Moroni port The newer Friday mosque stands by the port a few metres from the old one, and together they frame the dhow harbour. Stay for the evening call to prayer across the water. - **Time:** 45 minutes - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** Photographing the commercial port is illegal in the Comoros, so keep the camera on the mosques and the dhows. ### 5. Read the island at the National Museum Museum · CNDRS, RN 1, Moroni Opened in 1989 inside the national research centre, the CNDRS, with four rooms on history, religion, the volcano and the sea. It is small and it is the best briefing on the islands before you head out. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Check on arrival - **Best at:** Weekday morning - **Tip:** Hours are not published; ask your hotel to confirm it is open that day. ### 6. Climb toward the caldera of Karthala Nature · Trailhead at M'vouni, above Moroni The volcano behind the city rises to 2,361 metres and last erupted in 2007, and its summit caldera is about three kilometres by four. The walk is steep, muddy and long, through forest and then bare rock. - **Time:** A long day or overnight - **Cost:** Guide fee - **Best at:** Dry season, early start - **Tip:** Bring all your water and food: there is none on the trail. Check the alert level before you go. ### 7. Stand on the cliffs at Ikoni Medina · Ikoni, south of Moroni The old sultanate town a few kilometres south, one of the four inscribed medinas on Grande Comore, with a ruined palace and the tomb of Prince Said Ibrahim. Its sea cliffs carry a story of women who leapt rather than be enslaved. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Accounts of the cliff story differ in date and cause, so let a local guide tell it. ### 8. Walk up to the fort at Itsandra Medina · Itsandra, north of Moroni Once the island's first sultanate and its first port, now an inscribed medina just north of the capital. A 17th-century fort sits above the town, reached by a walled path of about 130 metres, and the beach is below. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Pair it with a swim at Itsandra beach, the closest good sand to Moroni. ### 9. Cross the Singani lava flow Nature · Singani, south of Moroni Karthala's last lava flow, in 1977, ran through Singani about 20 km south of Moroni and on to the sea. The village was rebuilt beside the black rock, and the flow shows how close the volcano lives to its people. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Combine it with Ikoni on the same drive south. ### 10. Look into Lac Salé Nature · Near Bangoi-Kouni, northern Grande Comore A saltwater crater lake in the north of the island, held sacred locally and said to be bottomless. The drive up the west coast passes Mitsamiouli and its beaches. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Hire a car and driver for the north loop and add the Trou du Prophète on the way. ## Best beaches near Moroni Black rock, pale sand and the closest coves to town. 1. **Itsandra beach** (Beach · Itsandra): The nearest good beach to Moroni, below the old fort, with the hotel of the same name at one end. 2. **Chomoni** (Beach · East coast): Pale sand against dark volcanic rock and clear water, on the east coast across the island. 3. **Trou du Prophète** (Cove · North coast): A sheltered swimming cove in the north, named for a local tradition of a refuge from pirates. ## Climbing Karthala from Moroni Three ways onto the mountain behind the city. 1. **The M'vouni trail** (Hiking trail · M'vouni): The usual footpath up, from the village just above Moroni. Ask there for a guide and start before dawn. 2. **The 4x4 approach** (Day tour · Karthala): Tour operators drive to about 1,600 metres, leaving a two-hour walk to the rim. 3. **The summit caldera** (Crater · 2,361 m): About three kilometres by four, with fumaroles. Camp on the rim for the dawn view. ## Best day trips from Moroni A car and a driver open the rest of Grande Comore. 1. **Mitsamiouli** (Town · Northwest coast): The former sultanate town on the northwest coast, with white-sand beaches and good diving. 2. **Dos du Dragon** (Rock formation · Northeast tip): A ridge of volcanic rock running out into the ocean at the island's northeast tip, by Ivoini. 3. **Ntsudjini** (Medina · North of Moroni): The fourth inscribed medina on Grande Comore, a short way north of Moroni and quieter than the capital. ## The other Comoros islands from Moroni The other two islands, by plane when one is flying. 1. **Mutsamudu, Anjouan** (Medina · Anjouan): Anjouan's port: covered alleys in a medina under a citadel built between 1782 and 1789. 2. **Domoni, Anjouan** (Medina · Anjouan): The east-coast medina, and the water where the second known coelacanth was caught in 1952. 3. **Mohéli National Park** (Marine park · Mohéli): The country's first marine park: green turtles nest at Itsamia all year, humpbacks arrive from mid-July. ## Best restaurants in Moroni Lobster in vanilla, grills and Comorian curries. Confirm hours before you go. 1. **Le Coraya** (Grill · Itsandra): A well-reviewed grill in Itsandra, a short ride north, and the place to eat off the coals by the sea. 2. **Les Terrasses de Moroni** (Comorian · Moroni): Spiced Comorian cooking and samosas, praised by diners. Parking is tight, so come by taxi. 3. **Itsandra Beach Hotel** (Hotel restaurant · Itsandra): The hotel's open dining room by the sea serves local dishes, and it is like other large hotels, it serves alcohol. ## Best street food in Moroni What the stalls and grills sell after dark. 1. **Mabawa stands** (Grill stall · Markets): Spiced chicken wings off the skewer stands that the mamas brochettis run around the markets. 2. **Mshakiki grills** (Grill stall · Coast road): Meat kebabs from beachfront shacks, served with grilled cassava, banana and breadfruit. 3. **Volo Volo food hall** (Market food · Volo Volo): The covered corner of the market where traders eat Comorian dishes at midday. ## Best hotels in Moroni Few rooms on the island, so book ahead in July and August. 1. **Retaj Moroni** (Hotel · Central Moroni): A 55-room hotel in the centre with a pool above the sea and a garden. The business address in town. 2. **Itsandra Beach Hotel** (Beach hotel · Itsandra): The best-known resort on the island, north of town, with its own cove for swimming. 3. **Le Kalyptus** (Bungalows · Itsandra): Fourteen simple bungalows of thatch and eucalyptus wood, a short walk from Itsandra beach. ## Festivals & annual events in Moroni (2026) - **Ramadan** (Lunar date): The month of fasting reshapes the day: quiet afternoons, busy evenings after sunset. - **Eid al-Fitr** (Lunar date): The end of Ramadan, a public holiday of prayers and family meals. - **Eid al-Adha** (Lunar date): The feast of the sacrifice, a public holiday kept across the island. - **Islamic New Year** (Lunar date): Marked with religious rites and community events in the medinas. - **Maoulid** (Lunar date): The Prophet's birthday, a public holiday with readings in the mosques. - **Independence Day** (6 July): The 1975 declaration of independence, with the main ceremonies in Moroni. - **Grand mariage season** (July–August): The diaspora flies home for the great weddings; streets fill with processions and dances. - **Maore Day** (12 November): The public holiday that restates the Union's claim to Mayotte. ## Must-try dishes in Moroni, Comoros - **Langouste à la vanille**: Lobster in a vanilla sauce, usually named the national dish. - **Mataba**: Pounded cassava leaves cooked in coconut milk with fish or meat. - **Pilaou**: Spiced rice cooked with meat, a pilaf that came over from Zanzibar. - **Ntrovi ya nazi**: Green bananas in coconut milk with cloves and cardamom. - **Mabawa**: Grilled spiced chicken wings from the market skewer stands. - **Putu**: The table hot sauce of chilli, tomato, onion and lime. - **Mkatra foutra**: Fried coconut-water bread topped with sesame. - **Mkatra siniya**: Rice-flour and coconut cake for weddings and feast days. ## Moroni transport & airports - **Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport** (HAH): At Hahaya, about 20 km north of the centre and roughly 30 minutes by taxi. Agree the fare before you get in; there is no meter. - **Taxis and shared taxis** (Taxi): Unmetered and cash only, in Comorian francs. Shared taxis run fixed fares around town; agree a private fare before you set off. - **Car with driver** (Road): The practical way to see the island. Hotels arrange one for the day; avoid driving after dark. - **Inter-island flights** (Air): Carriers to Anjouan and Mohéli come and go. Ask in Moroni which one is flying that week, and leave a spare day. ## Moroni at a glance - **Country:** Comoros - **Region:** Grande Comore (Ngazidja), on the west coast - **Population:** 74,747 (2017 census, commune) - **Founded:** 14th century, as a coastal sultanate town - **Nickname:** The place of fire, after Karthala - **Language:** Comorian, French and Arabic are all official - **Currency:** Comorian franc (KMF), pegged to the euro - **Time zone:** East Africa Time (UTC+3), no daylight saving - **Calling code:** +269 - **Airports:** Prince Said Ibrahim International (HAH), Hahaya - **Power:** 220 V, plug types C and E - **Emergency:** Police 17 · Fire 18 ## Interesting facts - Moroni's name is usually translated as the place of fire, after the volcano above it. - The Old Friday Mosque dates from 1427; its minaret was only added in 1921. - Karthala's 1977 lava flow ran through Singani to the sea, about 20 km south of the city. - In July 2026 the Moroni medina joined five others on the country's first World Heritage listing. - The country's name comes from the Arabic al qamar, the moon. ## Moroni travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Moroni? Three or four. One for the harbour, the medina, Volo Volo and the museum, one for Ikoni, Singani and Itsandra, one for the north coast and Lac Salé, and a fourth for Karthala. Add a week if you plan to fly on to Anjouan or Mohéli. ### When is the best time to visit Moroni? May to October, the cooler, drier kusi season. June, September and October are the pick. July and August are just as dry but bring the grand mariage season and the year's highest fares from Paris. January is the wettest month, and cyclones are possible from January to May. ### Do you need a visa for the Comoros? Yes, issued on arrival at Prince Said Ibrahim airport for about 30 euros, paid in cash. Your passport needs six months of validity. Carry a return ticket and your hotel address, and check your foreign ministry before you fly. ### Can you pay by card in Moroni? Rarely. A few hotels take cards; taxis, markets and most restaurants do not, and ATMs are few. Bring euros in notes, change them into Comorian francs, and keep small notes for taxis. ### Can you climb Karthala from Moroni? Yes. The usual path starts at M'vouni just above the city, and tours drive to about 1,600 metres to shorten it. Carry all your water and food, start before dawn, and check the volcano's alert level first, since Karthala is active and last erupted in 2007. ## Nearby guides - [Zanzibar](https://wimup.com/city/zanzibar.md): Tanzania · 10 picks - [Lilongwe](https://wimup.com/city/lilongwe.md): Malawi · 10 picks - [Arusha](https://wimup.com/city/arusha.md): Tanzania · 10 picks - [All of Africa →](https://wimup.com/africa): 64 cities Part of the [Comoros guide](https://wimup.com/country/comoros.md) · [Africa](https://wimup.com/africa.md) ## Sources - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.